Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Johanne Bénard, Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing to you to appeal the decision that I must withdraw from Queen's Arts and Sciences faculty for a minimum of one year.

This past year has been extremely difficult for me. It took a lot of adjusting to the new environment I was in but the main issue was my mental health. I have struggled for a long time with anxiety and depression which when in overwhelming circumstances, becomes severe. Moving three hours away from the home, city and people that I grew up with, removed me from a support system I had already established and this was detrimental to my success in first year at Queen's. This system helped me through my most troubling times throughout elementary and high school where I was able to remain successful in my academics. I was not close to my parents, my friends or my therapist during the year so when I would experience bouts of anxiety or depression, this support system was not as easily accessible as it previously was which caused my mental state to worsen overtime and ultimately become debilitating. Around mid-October I decided to drop two of my five courses allowing for a lighter work load which I thought would alleviate some of the stress and anxiety I was already feeling early on in the year. By November I began to isolate myself in my room and regular everyday tasks became practically impossible to accomplish which is the reason for my incomplete assignments. This was the start of a depressive episode that lasted until April. On-campus mental health resources were brought to my attention at various points during the year, but I was reluctant to take advantage of them. I strongly believe that forming a connection with someone is imperative to the treatment process which is something I have observed after many years of visiting with several medical professionals and therefore felt that these services would not be of much help to me. It is also important to note that during a depressive state, it can be challenging to reach out for help as this disorder is extremely draining. Around December, I informed one of my teaching assistants as well as a professor of my situation and they were both so incredibly understanding and offered support in whatever way I needed. However, the depression I was struggling with was entirely beyond my control to the point that I neglected their offers and did not hand in assignments, resulting in such a low GPA. Assignments that were mostly done and would take only 20 minutes to complete seemed like an unimaginable feat. Another element that severely affected my psychological state was the passing of an aunt who I was very close with, near the end of second semester. It was quite burdensome to cope with this news when I was separated from my entire family, and I was unable to attend any of the services as it happened in the midst of exam season. Due to this, it was extremely difficult to focus on studying and I did not attend my psychology exam.

I had no intention of doing so poorly in my first year. I entered university with high hopes and standards for myself, but due to these extenuating circumstances, I did not succeed. I do not believe that this past year is an accurate reflection of the type of student I am. Before coming to Queen's, I was known to be an overachiever, I had high grades and was overall regarded as an exemplary student. After visiting with my therapist to discuss my struggles from the past year, we have both agreed that it was a lack of support in a new environment that ultimately lead to my downfall and have been considering my next steps for success.